Smooth endoplasmic reticulum (SER), meshwork of fine disklike tubular membrane vesicles, part of a continuous membrane organelle within the cytoplasm of eukaryotic cells, that is involved in the synthesis and storage of lipids, including cholesterol and phospholipids, which are used in the production of new cellular membrane. The smooth endoplasmic reticulum (SER) is distinguished from the rough endoplasmic reticulum (RER), the other basic type of endoplasmic reticulum, by its lack of ribosomes, which are protein-synthesizing particles that can be found attached to the outer surface of the RER to give the membrane its “rough” appearance. SER occurs both in animal and in plant cells.vc f